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OVERVIEW

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Brief Synopsis

A cowboy fights to save a wild horse from its exploitative owner.

While working with a group of wild horse hunters headed by Matt Jennings, Ben Kirby discovers a beautiful, fierce stallion leading a herd. Wanting the horse for himself, Ben single-handedly captures it, but before he can raise the cash to pay off his partners for it, Matt sells it to a rodeo showman for a high price. Ben doggedly searches for the horse and its owner, and by working the rodeo circuit, eventually finds the owner, Dave Tracy, and the horse, now called Wildfire. Tracy refuses to sell Ben the horse, as he is making big money at rodeos and fairs by betting that no one can ride him for more than ten seconds. Realizing that the rough treatment will soon destroy Wildfire, Ben leaves Tracy $600, the amount Tracy originally paid for Wildfire, and sets the horse free. With Ben following, Wildfire escapes to the back country, where Ben then recaptures him. Taking refuge near Kanab, Utah, at the ranch of kindly Cas Bagley, Ben works as a ranchhand in exchange for board and a place to train Wildfire. Ben's way with animals wins the admiration of Jenny, the granddaughter Bagley is rearing alone, who has tamed and befriended several of the local wild animals. Eventually Ben tames and trains Wildfire, and the horse later proves his loyalty when he pulls Ben out of some quicksand. When a circus lion escapes from a traveling show, many of the local livestock are killed. The lion stalks Jenny and causes a stampede of wild horses, but Ben, who is working on a fence nearby, saves Jenny and scares off the lion with gunfire. Meanwhile, Tracy has been searching for Wildfire and shows up at the ranch threatening to have Ben arrested for horse theft. After learning from Bagley that the local police and jurists are unlikely to be sympathetic to his cruel treatment of Wildfire, Tracy tries to steal the horse during the night. However, Wildfire balks, and when Tracy tries to beat him into submission, the horse tramples him to death. Bagley warns Ben that the law requires the destruction of any animal causing a man's death and gives him a head start to the state line before alerting the sheriff. Ben and Wildfire proceed to Wyoming through back country, camping out at night. While Ben is asleep, the lion attacks Wildfire, but after a struggle, Wildfire stomps the lion to death. The next morning, the sheriff, with Bagley and Jenny, catch up with them, so Ben sets Wildfire loose and is ready to fight rather than see his horse destroyed. However, the sheriff knows the circumstances of Tracy's death and is pleased that the lion will no longer endanger the inhabitants of the area. Claiming that he is looking for Tracy's horse, not Ben's, the sheriff declares that Wildfire is not the horse he is tracking. After Wildfire voluntarily returns to Ben, everyone heads back to the ranch.